I SEE BUILDINGS FALL LIKE LIGHTNING Luminaries

A group of five friends in their late twenties navigate adulthood, broken hearts and the class divide in Clio Barnard’s (ALI & EVA, AFI FEST 2021) wickedly crowd-pleasing, social realist denunciation of late-stage capitalism. Having grown up in the same council tower block in Birmingham, the crew is always ready for a nostalgic drug- and booze-fueled night on the town, though financier Rian (Joe Cole) is perhaps ready for a more refined life in London. Meanwhile, married couple Pat and Shiv (Anthony Boyle and Lola Petticrew) along with expectant father Conor (Daryl McCormack) and good-time drug dealer Oli (Jay Lycurgo) struggle to figure out their path forward. Pat is stuck as a food delivery cyclist, just another cog in the gig economy while Conor is trying to provide for his family with a new business venture but cannot escape his own demons. As they fight for their futures, rifts start to form in their once unbreakable friendships. Barnard’s buzzy cast of up-and-coming actors has electric chemistry, bringing real stakes to their fractured relationships. Screenwriter Enda Walsh (DIE, MY LOVE; HUNGER) adapts Keiran Goddard’s acclaimed novel with panache, avoiding melodrama to find something more raw and honest. Barnard’s latest effort deservedly won the People’s Choice Audience Award at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight sidebar in Cannes. –Josh Gardner